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Community effort helps rescue injured snowmobiler

51-year-old man airlifted to Health Science North after crashing snowmachine
opp-snowmobile
A 51-year-old man was injured after crashing his snowmachine into a rock cut at the shore of Whitefish Lake shortly before noon on Feb. 23. File photo.

A 51-year-old man was injured after crashing his snowmachine into a rock cut at the shore of Whitefish Lake shortly before noon on Feb. 23.

Greater Sudbury Fire and Emergency Services responded to the crash, along with paramedics from Walden and members of the OPP, and Atikameksheng Anishnawbek Police.

GSFS Platoon Chief Andre Groulx says that it was a community effort that helped get paramedics and emergency responders to the injured man.

"It was locals who were in the area on their snowmobiles," said Groulx. "Fire services and paramedics don't have snowmachines, it's only the police who have those, so it was just people in the area who offered to help."

Emergency personnel were able to hook up their RDC (rapid deployment craft) to a local's snowmachine in order to get the injured man up on to a backboard and ready for transport.

The man was then airlifted to Health Sciences North by helicopter.

Groulx could not comment on the man's condition, but he was appreciative for the help that his department received from the locals.

"It's always appreciated when locals step up to help out in these emergency situations," said Groulx. "These kinds of accidents aren't an everyday thing but they do happen, and we don't have snowmachines, so when people step up to offer their help it's certainly appreciated."

 


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